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nekovet, Veterinarian

Category: Dog

Satisfied Customers: 22275

Experience: Hello,
I am a small animal veterinarian and am happy to discuss any concerns & questions you have on any species.

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My dog (a 5 year old English Mastiff) had bloat surgery about

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My dog (a 5 year old English Mastiff) had bloat surgery about 4 weeks ago. However, while he was on the table they discovered that he also had liver disease and a biopsy was taken. The biopsy showed that he had large amounts of copper in his liver so he was booked in for a liver function test. The test, I am told, were better than expected. Since then my dog bloated a second time (reduced chance of a torsion occurring as he had his stomach stitched to the wall) they fed a tube down his throat to get rid of all the gas but there was a lot of fermenting food brought up too (he hadn't eaten for three days) leading the vet to think his food wasn't moving from the stomach to the duodenum so she prescribed Metoclopramide to get everything moving and Ranitidine for possible acid reflux. I've been giving him these drugs for two days now, he is still refusing to eat (after 5 days, though I am syringing liquid food down his throat) he is loosing condition very rapidly and has a pot bellied appearance which, when you rub his belly, it sounds as though it's full of fluid

Hello & welcome, I am Dr. B, a licensed veterinarian and I would like to help you today. I do apologize that your question was not answered before. Different experts come online at various times; I just came online, read about your wee one’s situation, and wanted to help.I am very sorry to hear about your lad's condition here. His deterioration is very worrying and if he is starting to become bloated with fluid, we'd be concerned that his liver function is being greatly reduced by his current copper related issues.Now in this situation, if Folomi isn't eating despite those treatments, you may need to speak to his vet about appetite stimulants or possibly adding further anti-nausea treatment. As well, in this case, we may also want to consider placing a short term feeding tube to bypass his mouth to get food into him.Further to what he is being treated with, I would note that if the copper levels are still high then he may also need to be started on D-penicillamine to bind that copper. When using this, we do also treat with B vitamins, to keep those levels up. Otherwise, its advisable to start him on liver supports and anti-oxidants. Examples of those we can use to support the liver are SAMe, Vitamin E, and milk thistle. You can find these in OTC vet products like Denamarin.Overall, I am quite concerned to hear how advanced your lad's signs are but I would suggest speaking to his vet about the above to try and reduce his copper levels, support his liver, and get food into him to give him a chance.All the best and happy holidays ,Dr. B.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you have any other questions, please ask me – I’ll be happy to respond. Please remember to rate my service once you have all the information you need as this is how I am credited for assisting you today. Thank you! : )

Thank you for your replyI was also concerned that my vet hadn't given Folomi something for the excess copper in his liver (identified from the initial biopsy) but, following a liver function test he said the liver wasn't as bad as first thought.I also told them I was concerned about his liver when Folomi bloated for a second time but he said the stomach was full of gas, probably caused by a 'lazy stomach'. Certainly Folomi has been burping an awful lot. Hopefully he won't deteriorate further before Sunday, when I can get my vet to refer him to one of the teaching hospitals

You are very welcome,It does depend on what the vet meant by the bloods not being as bad as they thought. If it has normal function that is good, but if the copper is higher then normal, then we do still need to address that for Folomi.As well, since his signs are so worrisome, I would suggest ringing his vet now. They should have out of hours cover for the holiday and should be able to organize an urgent referral to the local vet school at this point. And as the vet schools take emergencies over the holiday, we may not have to risk that wait.Take care,Dr. B.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you have any other questions, please ask me &ndash; I’ll be happy to respond. Please remember to rate my service once you have all the information you need as this is how I am credited for assisting you today. Thank you! : )

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------** Please remember to rate my service when you are satisfied as this is the only way I am credited for assisting you today. IF you have any lingering questions or concerns, please stop and reply to me via the REPLY or CONTINUE CONVERSATION button with the issue you have. I will be happy to continue further and do everything I can to provide you with the service you seek. Thank you. :)

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